Every once in a while we have the good fortune of working on a project that we feel truly matters, a project that we’ll still be thinking about years from now. Maybe even something we can imagine telling our grandkids about – surely you’ve had moments like that where something you did in your professional life really mattered?

Leonard “Porkchop” Zimmerman

The story you are about to read is true. HOWEVER, this is the Cliff Notes’ version.
i’m a graphic designer by day, and a visual artist the rest of the time. I go by the name Porkchop, which was a nickname my partner of almost eight years called me. In 2006, after 10 weeks in the hospital, he passed away and I fell into depression, self-medicating to hold what was left of my life together. One day I realized that if I was ever going to be happy again, it was solely my responsibility. It took many years of using art as therapy and constantly looking for the good in the world to turn my life around. Read more>>

Elizabeth Grullón Thibuad Goarin

The Things We Carry carries significance for me on many levels. It was a project born from a conversation between friends over dinner. What started out as a friend (producer on the film, Melissa McNerney) sharing a shocking headline she had read, turned into a knowing look and the utterance of those famous last words, “That would make a great short film.” Read more>>

Andrew Benson

I started a traveling songwriter series in West Virginia in 2022 called Songs & Stories WV. That show was been pivotal in giving original music a home in WV.

As a songwriter myself, I always imagine what a perfect show would be like for me to play so I decided to create that space. In a place where music has always typically catered to the cover band crowd it becomes a struggle to feel represented as a songwriter when many of the venues want party or background, cover music.. Read more>>

Micah Briggs

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on in my artistic career was my commission for the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum’s Making Home Triennial (2024–2025). The project, Birthing in Alabama: Designing Spaces for Reproduction, explored the history of birth in Alabama and the systemic barriers that affect doctors, midwives, and birthworkers’ ability to provide safe and accessible reproductive healthcare. In collaboration with Dr. Yashica Robinson, whose work inspired the project, and researchers Lori A. Brown and Jessie Marks Rubenstein. Read more>>

Taina Litwak

My most meaningful project to date is the work I am doing on a series of installation sculptures about Plastic Over Production and Waste. I have done two iterations of the project at galleries in Washington DC in 2024 and in Baltimore in the spring of 2025. The third, and largest to date, I will be installing as a solo show in another DC gallery in Dec. 2025. I am a passionate environmentalist and I have spent the last 40 years of my professional life working with scientists documenting biodiversity – new species of animals and plants and advancing science literacy and education, illustrating for text books, museums and magazines. Read more>>

Brieanna Gold

I think writing my first book Sad Fucking Poems was the most meaningful project i’ve done, i used to be in some shitty pop punk and emo bands back in the day in jersey and as things moved away from the kind of music i made being successful and then when covid first happened and it felt like live music was never going to return i went through a bunch of notebooks of lyrics and scrapped ideas and decided to rework them into poems instead of full songs, and then i did everything for the book, editing, styling etc i hired a friend to make the cover art for me and as time went by I realised more and more things i didnt like about it, the art wasnt my vision and there were a ton of typos I missed because i was so focused on just getting it released. Read more>>

Melanie Lora And Katie MacNichol

We launched our podcast Act Like a Mother last year out of our passion for the work we do as actors and the lives we lead as mothers. Each episode features honest, unscripted conversations with actors about the struggles and joys of the acting business and how parenting and family life intersect with their lives as creatives. Read more>>

Vanessa Stirling

“Live FULL Die EMPTY UNLIMITED”, was inspired by my son’s and dad’s extraordinary life. My mom used to say, “ If you don’t have something or SEE IT, use what’s in your heart and CREATE IT!” I am inspired by people who defy the odds in life and inspire US to do the same with our own lives. My son, Joshua Devon Stirling- and my dad, Jacob Moses Green, has exemplify this order. ” Live FULL Die EMPTY UNLIMITED”, is an online website e-commerce business, to share my son’s and dad’s stories, their artistic and musical talents, passion for life, love for people and their giving spirit to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Read more>>

Dipanshu Sharma

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on so far is Bhool Chook. It’s a short film about a young South Asian man who returns home to care for his proud, aging father, until a quiet but painful role reversal begins to take place. On the surface, it’s about caregiving, but underneath, it explores pride, masculinity, shame, and the complicated love between South Asian fathers and sons. Read more>>

D Fleysher

I was just a contestant on “King of Drag” the reality competition tv show for drag kings that aired summer 2025. It was a long time coming for drag kings to get the spotlight, and it was an incredible way for me as an artist to get on tv—to show my work on this scale, to be able to show my character and my clowning work and be supported by the show in what I brought. Read more>>

Ruth Guerra

A meaningful project for me has been my one-woman show, “Ruth on the Rocks.” My journey began at 29 when I started telling stories in a stand-up format, which led me to take courses at Second City. After completing those classes, I signed up for a workshop to develop a solo show, but it fell through before I could bring my vision to life. Read more>>

Federica Alice Carlino

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is The Monster’s Club. It began as a screenplay and became a proof of concept short during my time at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles. Today, it’s in the pitch stage as a television series, and I’ve also adapted it into a novel that will be released in September. Read more>>

Alexa Mosley

The most impactful and meaningful project I have created is my three-painting mini-series, Spiralization. This body of work explores the process of embracing natural hair as a biracial black and white woman. Through three large oil self-portraits—Associations, BiConfidence, and Conditioning—I depict an ongoing journey of self-acceptance and identity. Read more>>

Tianfang Guo

The project that feels the most meaningful right now is my bird illustration series. I’ve completed 21 pieces and my goal is to draw at least 50 to make a book out of it. This project is a combination of field sketches, gentle humor and fun stories to capture interesting moments from my bird-watching life. From time to time, I would also develop bird-related characters, animation and comics for fun, which my followers quite enjoy. Read more>>

Courtney

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on has been creating Persephone’s Grove: A Midwinter Fantasy Ball here in Charlotte. A few years ago, I moved to the city as a new mother, and I found it surprisingly difficult to build community. Where do you go to meet new friends when your favorite hobbies are reading books and rewatching Lord of the Rings for the thousandth time? Read more>>

Lisa D’Amico

Creating Bluefield Exhibits and the Bluefield Arts Festival has been a deeply meaningful endeavor, rooted in my desire to celebrate creativity, community, and culture. These projects provide a platform for emerging and established artists to share their work, connect with audiences, and inspire one another. They also bring people together while fostering dialogue, collaboration, and a sense of pride in the region’s artistic identity. Through these efforts, I hope to make the arts more accessible and to nurture an inclusive arts community. Read more>>

Oliver Closeoff

I produce a show called “Beyond the Binary,” Indiana’s only reoccurring all trans and non-binary variety show, which began back in 2023. The show has had poetry, drag, burlesque, circus acts and strippers just to name some of the types of performances that can be seen during the show. Read more>>

Phillip Schwartz

The project that has been the most meaningful to me up until now is a site specific installation that I did at Christ Episcopal Church in Hudson, NY. It was called, “Shoa: a Meditation on the Holocaust.” It featured a series of self portraits done in egg tempera that represent me in situations I might have found myself if I had been born in Europe anywhere from about 1900 to 1940. The installation also included 13 textile works some of which were banners that hung down the center aisle of the church and others were altar frontals. All of the textile work was based on photographs from the archive of the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. Read more>>

Esther Chase

The logo and website design for Church of Saint Francis in Villa Park, Illinois was a truly meaningful endeavor.

At the time, I had been working on digital marketing for a lifestyle boutique’s ecommerce platform, but I also became interested in taking on work that would resonate with my spirituality and other aspects of who I am. As an answer to a prayer, I was referred to the Church project by one of their members whom I had met years before while networking with outreach librarians in the western suburbs of Chicago. Read more>>

Esther Park

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is my thesis collection, My Swan. It began as a deeply personal reflection on my relationship with my mother, whom I’ve always envisioned as a swan—graceful yet fiercely protective, capable of both nurturing tenderness and primal strength. Growing up in New Zealand, I saw her resilience and quiet elegance as something almost otherworldly, and I wanted to translate that duality into my work. Read more>>

Jacob Starr

I’m currently working on a project called “The Butterfly Effect: Fairy Tales Revisited.” I’ve always been fascinated with fairy tales since I was a little kid-the beauty, the whimsy, sometimes even the darkness. I wanted to create a series of images that reimagined famous fantasy stories through my artistic lens. Read more>>

Ozziel Inzunza

While all four of my books hold deep meaning for me, my most meaningful current project is going live on TikTok to draw historical figures while teaching my audience about their significance. Writing allowed me to express myself and share my perspective with the world, but this project has taught me the true power of social media—its ability to connect, educate, and inspire in real time. Read more>>

Pranav Shinde

One of the most meaningful projects I have worked on is Frase by Forbes, which is a daily word game that became Forbes’ first foray into the casual gaming space. The concept emerged from a collaborative effort between product and design, where the shared goal was to create something playful and habit-forming and a part of a wider engagement strategy for Forbes. The goal was to also make sure to stay aligned with Forbes’ reputation for quality and authority. I served as the Lead Product Designer for the end to end experience from the earliest sketches to the live product. Read more>>

Lian Ben Porat

SECOND NATURE is my debut one-woman show, and it’s as personal as it gets. I wrote it to tell the story of a young girl—inspired by my own journey—fighting to take back control of her life. She dances through every obstacle, stumbles, laughs, cries, and somehow finds her strength. I wanted to create something for anyone who’s ever felt stuck or scared to take the next step, because I’ve been there too. Writing and performing this show has been both terrifying and freeing. it’s my way of saying, “You keep going, cause that’s what life is all about.” It’s funny, raw, heartfelt, and full of dance, and I promise it’s a ride you won’t forget. Read more>>

Mahsa Dehghan

I lived in Iran for most of my life, working as a designer by day and pursuing photography and illustration projects after hours. One of my personal projects was photographing street sellers, people who set up small stands or carry their goods through crowded sidewalks. I was drawn to them not just visually, but because I love talking to people and hearing their stories. Every person I met had a unique and inspiring journey. Read more>>

Lana Hickman

One of the best projects I have ever done took place on Orcas Island,WA. At that time I have been working for The Funhouse Creative Commons. I decorated an enormous barn for the gala. I made large colorful metallic paper animal sculptures. The gala participants told me that coming in they walked into a myth, a fairy tale, a primeval forest full of wonder..Later on there were decorative projects as well, when I created paper villages for The Habitat for Humanity fundraising. Yet, somehow, they had to be on a smaller scale. Read more>>

Michael Gray

The most meaningful project you’ve worked on lately is The MKG Affair, which led to the launch of my Music Album, “Thanks for the Love”. The pre-launched two books, “Never Broken,” which chronicle my journey of survival, resilience, and growth, while offering lessons and encouragement to others. “Investigating Information and Communication Technologies by University Faculty in Sub-Saharan Africa” is a policy book based on supervised empirical research. The introduction of “Kasa Gray,” a fashion brand inspired by African artistry. The announcement of The Gray Group, Inc., a boutique consulting firm specializing in Human Capital Development and Organizational Strategy, and the launch of the Michael K. Gray Show, a multimedia platform highlighting Changemakers. Read more>>

Red Rae

“Paradise Portals” is a multimedia performance series that uses movement, drone footage, livestream video, and green screen technology to create portals between artists’ bodies and environments that hold significance for them. This project explores both the visibility and removal of people, histories, and bodies from the spaces we occupy. A portal is an opening to an alternate reality, an opening that you can choose to step through, or choose to stay away from. By bravely choosing to open the portal we both expose and erase the body and superimpose both history and fantasy into the spaces in “between”. In doing so, the project shows that every one of us is a portal. A portal to our past, our thoughts, the unknown, our potential, our liberation, our stories, and much more. It asks, “who are you really?”. Read more>>

Haohao Yu

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is one that directly explores “Impostor Syndrome”—a feeling I’ve struggled with for years. As a creator, I’ve often questioned whether my work was truly “good enough,” comparing myself to others and dismissing my own achievements. This project became a way to confront those doubts head-on. Read more>>

DeVon Russell Gray

In the year ahead of the Covid-19 pandemic I was chosen as composer-in-residence with Schubert Club of Minnesota for a term of two seasons. Essentially I was meant to create one evening length work to be premiered in Spring of 2021. At the outset of the appointment and commission I had a big dream to produce something akin to a one-act opera. But then the world shutdown and the thought of being forced to create in isolation and not getting to spend time with my collaborators shifted everything. The live performance became a live stream event. For this project I had access to more resources than I had ever had before. I was able to create a beautifully shot performance film in collaboration with my friend Nate Ryan. Read more>>

Jingwen Felix Qiang Qiang

The most meaningful project I have worked on is my short film Calexico, which is currently developing into a feature film. This project is deeply tied to a personal wound—my breakup with someone I loved intensely. Almost six years ago, I met and fell in love with Ash in Beijing, a relationship that felt like an undeniable, gravitational force, larger than ourselves. However, life’s realities intervened: I had to leave for a master’s degree in Philadelphia and then made the difficult decision not to return to China due to visa challenges and the harsh environment for queer people. This separation left us with confusion, longing, and an unresolved ending. Read more>>

Allison Prell

My most meaningful project to date isn’t in a client’s home, a gallery, or a public space—it’s the piece I painted in my own entryway. To understand why, you need to know two things about me.
First, I’ve always dreamed of shaping my surroundings so completely that they reflected exactly who I am. This probably started with my childhood obsession with TLC’s Trading Spaces and Design on a Dime. But I knew it was part of my DNA the day my 11-year-old self fired up a PowerPoint presentation for my parents – complete with a budget and inspirational images – to convince them why we should knock down a wall to make our home feel more cohesive. (For those wondering, the answer was a hard “no.”) Read more>>

Munk One

Working from home mainly as a freelance artist running an online shop, I’ve found The Colour Haiku Poster + Art Fest to be a huge project for growth outside of what had been my day-to-day. It started as a conversation between myself and my good friend and former co-founder Rachel Boell, who played a huge part in getting the initial concept off the ground. Read more>>

Lisa Olech

So many of the books I write are meaningful, tackling sensitive subjects, keeping my women characters strong. With my pirate captain series CAPTAINS OF THE SCARLET NIGHT, I was able to work very closely with the deaf community to develop a character whose story I later earned nationally recognition for. Read more>>

Jasmin Benward

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on is my debut poetry collection, Crying in LA: Sapphic Longing in Tongues and Tears. It was actually a backup project while another manuscript was tied up in a contest, but I was determined to birth something. I wrote most of it during a sabbatical in Mexico City, waking up early to chip away at it daily. I fell in love with procedure, ritual, and routine. I knew I was on to something when I wrote the poem “Banned” — I was crying, hands shaking, full snot bubbles. In that moment, I felt truth, and more importantly, I felt proud of myself for it. Read more>>

Draven Zhao

The project I am currently working on is about my relationship with my Bed. We spend so long time in bed among our life make me start carefully consider what bed really mean to us, physically and mentally.

It all starts with my feeling on the bed. As a kid, I believed monsters were living under our beds, and the bed was the only safe place. I fear sticking my hands or feet outside the bed’s edge into the darkness, the unknown for a kid’s eyes. The darkness came from every direction that the body did not come into contact with the bed, from the ceiling when we faced up to the back when I was lying sideways. At the same time, the bed is also the sacred, safe place where I recharge after getting exhausted from the day. It is where I meet the true myself; the mattress softly supports my spine, and the sheet warmly wraps me around. Read more>>

Mehrdad Mirzaie

One of the important projects I’ve worked on is the Tasvir Archive Project, which I began in 2022. For years, I’ve been researching contemporary image-based art in Iran, and during that time, I’ve consistently struggled with the lack of reliable and accessible resources—especially in English. It’s often difficult to find proper documentation, critical writing, or even basic information about many Iranian photographers and image-based artists. This gap makes it challenging not only for international audiences to learn about these, but also for researchers and artists within Iran to access their own visual history. That’s what led me to imagine a research project like Tasvir. Read more>>